


It's a Twin Thing

by Sammie2244



Category: R5 (Band), Ross Lynch - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-09-26 04:51:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17135294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sammie2244/pseuds/Sammie2244
Summary: Ross Shor Lynch.  Actor. Singer. Musician. 2nd youngest of 5 siblings…or so people thought.  What no one but his family and close friends knew though, is that he was actually a twin.  His twin sister, Raven, however, was rarely, if ever, mentioned due to the fact that she was stolen from the hospital the day she and Ross were born.One day, he runs into someone who will change his life forever.  The sibling that he never got to meet…his twin sister.





	1. Prologue

* _29 December 1995*_

_After waiting for hours, siblings Riker (4), Rydel (2), and Rocky (1) Lynch had just been told that they now had a younger brother and sister named Ross and Raven.  All three had been so excited ever since they had found out their mother was pregnant with twins.  However, their parents had refused to reveal the genders because they wanted it to be a surprise._

_Since they were early, the twins had to stay in hospital overnight in order to ensure that they were completely healthy.  While their father, Mark, took Riker, Rocky, and Rydel home, their mother, Stormie, stayed in the hospital with the twins.  What none of them knew though, was that one of the twins would not come home the next day…_


	2. Chapter 1

* _Years later_ *

It started off as a regular Thursday for Raven.  Once she had finished what little cleaning she had to do, along with a few other chores, she still had a few hours before she started her shift at the bar she worked at, so she decided to leave the house to get a coffee from her nearest Starbucks, which was only a five-minute walk away.  What she _didn’t_ know, however, is that this decision would change her life forever.

Singer and actor, Ross Lynch was out for a walk.  At some point he had begun to think about his twin sister, Raven, the sibling he never got to meet.  His mother had told him about her when he was 10.  Ever since then, there had been many nights when he had prayed for her to come back to them and whenever he was on tour or doing a movie, he would search for her.  It was hard because he didn’t know what she looked like, only that she had the same eyes as him, which wasn’t very much to go on.  Whenever he looked in a mirror, he would always look into his eyes to make sure he had them memorised if he ever did meet his sister.  To outsiders, it may seem vain to see him staring at himself in the mirror, especially when they didn’t know his backstory since he and his family rarely talked about it, but he didn’t care about what others thought.  He and his family knew why he did it and that was all that mattered to him.   
He wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going, so, unsurprisingly, he ran into someone…literally.  Both parties tumbled to the ground from the impact.  He looked up to see that he had run into a girl with blonde hair with brown roots.  He immediately got up in order to help her.  He picked up her bag before leaning down to help her up.  
“I am so sorry!  I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going!”  He exclaimed, helping her up.  
“Not to worry, I wasn’t paying attention either.”  She replied.  Once she was standing, she looked him in the eyes.  Ross did a double take.  She was beautiful!  “Thanks.”  She said with a smile, thanking him for helping her up.    
Once both of them were standing and facing each other Ross introduced himself.  
“I’m Ross.”  He introduced himself with a smile, offering his hand out for her to shake, a gesture which she gladly returned.   
“Raven.”  The girl introduced herself.    
“I believe this is yours.”  Ross said, offering her the bag she had dropped.  
“Thank you.”  She said with a smile on her face, taking her bag from him.  “I was just going to get some coffee.  Would you like to join me?”  She asked.  Ross smiled.  
“Absolutely.” He replied.  Raven smiled and they both headed to the closest coffee shop.

Raven knew she felt a connection with Ross as soon as their eyes met.  She knew right away the connection was in no way romantic, but she couldn’t put her finger on what exactly it was, but she knew it was strong.  

* _Later_ *

The two had been talking for hours and, at some point, had moved back to Raven’s apartment.  
“Tell me about your family.”  Raven requested.  
“I grew up in Colorado with my four siblings and parents before we moved to LA a few years ago.”  Ross told her.  
“Huh, I was born in Colorado.”  Raven commented.  
“Cool!  What part?”  Ross asked curiously.  
“I was born in Littleton, Colorado on the 29th of December 1995.”  Raven stated.  Ross, who was currently having a large gulp of water from a glass that he was holding spat it out, creating a huge spray of water.  He then coughed for a moment before looking at her with wide eyes.  
“Are you kidding?  So was I!”  Ross exclaimed.    
“No way!”  Raven exclaimed.  
“Freaky.”  Ross commented, almost to himself.  
“Tell me about your family.”  Raven requested, wanting to change the subject so it wasn’t as creepy.   
“My mother’s name is Stormie, and my father’s name is Mark.  As for my siblings; Riker, my brother, is the eldest, then my sister Rydel, then my brother Rocky, then there’s me, and then my youngest brother Ryland.”  Ross told her.  “What about you?”  Ross asked.  “Tell me about your family.”    
“It was really only my Mum and I.  I had no siblings and my father left before I was born.  Unfortunately, my Mum died when I was young so the only family I have had since then were the kids at the orphanage I lived at.”  Raven replied.  
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”  Ross said sympathetically.  “Tell me about her.” He requested.  
“As I said, I was only young when she died, so my memories of her are a bit hazy.  I remember, she was quite mysterious.  I know she cared for me and loved me very much though.  I was home-schooled and I remember that we never stayed in one place for very long.  I just have these memories of constantly being in the car and living in many different houses, but never really feeling like any of them were home.”  Raven replied.  
“What do you mean by mysterious?”  Ross asked curiously.  
“She was always worrying about me when she wasn’t near me and would never leave me on my own for very long. She didn’t want me to get attached to a place or a person so we were always moving and I never had any friends up until the orphanage because we were always on the move.”  Raven explained.

The next time Raven looked at her clock, it was 3:30pm.  They had been talking for 5 hours…  
“Oh my gosh!  It’s 3:30, my shift starts at 5.”  She exclaimed.  
“Where do you work?”  Ross asked curiously.  
“I work at a bar around a 20-minute walk from here.”  She replied.  Ross smiled at her.  
“I guess I should leave you to get ready for work.  You don’t want to be late.”  Ross said.  He knew how long Rydel took to get ready for things, especially outings and shows, but he knew that that didn’t reflect all girls, but he wanted to give Raven enough time to get ready.  Plus, he had to meet a friend for dinner anyway.  
“It was wonderful to meet you Ross.  I know we’ll be great friends.”  She said, giving him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.  They had already exchanged numbers so Ross then left Raven’s apartment, excited for the next time he would see her.


	3. Chapter 2

Raven entered the bar where she worked, which was relatively quiet at the moment.  She knew that this wouldn’t last though as they usually became quite busy from about 6pm onwards, especially their restaurant area since the bar also had a restaurant attached to it.  She went out the back to put her things away before making her way to the bar where she would begin her shift.

* _7pm_ *

Ross walked into a bar with one of his friends, Alex.  They were both going out to dinner anyway to catch up so he thought why not try the food here.  He had been thinking about Raven ever since he left her apartment.  There was something almost familiar about her that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he knew he wouldn’t give up until he figured it out.  He had tried to focus on what Alex was saying instead, but wasn’t having that much success.  
“Yo, Ross, are you ok?”  Alex asked.  
“Huh?  Oh, yeah, I’m fine.  Just thinking about something.”  Ross replied, not specifying what exactly what was on his mind and Alex knew that there was no way he could get Ross to talk if he didn’t want to.  Ross was stubborn like that.  They both entered the bar, which looked like it doubled as a restaurant, and walked over to an empty booth to sit down.

Raven was serving drinks at the bar when she noticed the boy from earlier, Ross, walk in with what seemed to be a friend of his.  As she had predicted, the bar had gotten busier in the two hours since she arrived, but that was to be expected since it was both a bar and restaurant.  She had just finished serving another customer when her manager, Kayley, came up to her.  She was around Raven’s age but had worked there longer than Raven had.  Like a lot of her other co-workers, Kayley and Raven were quite good friends, but they kept their relationship at work casual but professional.  
“Raven, I’m assigning you to the floor.  You’re on Table 5.”  She said.  
“Sure thing.”  Raven replied.  She walked over to the table, grabbing a pen and pad to take orders.  Once at the table, however, she was in for a surprise.

Just as Ross was about to say something to Alex, their waitress walked over.  They had both already chosen what they would like to eat and drink as they had looked at the menu displayed by the front door.  
“Hi, my name’s Raven, I’ll be your waitress this evening.”  Raven said.  She was smiling and quite surprised to see Ross again, but she kept her tone light and professional.  
“Raven!  I didn’t know you worked here.”  Ross exclaimed, surprised to see his new friend.  
“Yeah, I work here, as you can now see.”  She replied.    
“This is my friend Alex.”  He said, indicating to said person, who was sitting across from him.    
“Nice to meet you Alex.”  Raven greeted him with a polite but still friendly smile.  
“Lovely to meet you too Raven.”  Alex replied.  
“Have you guys decided what you would like to order?”  Raven asked, holding a pad and pen in her hand.  
“What’s your favourite thing on the menu?”  Ross asked her.  Raven was taken aback by this.  She had never been asked this question before, usually, customers just told her what they wanted and got it over with, but she could tell Ross was not like this.    
“The Nachos are my favourite.  I’d highly recommend those.  But that’s just me.”  She replied.  Ross smiled at her.  
“I’ll have those then.  I always like to try new things.  I’ve had Nachos before, but never here.”  He said.  Raven noted down his choice, a smile on her face.  The more she learned about Ross, the more she liked him.  She then looked at Alex.  
“What can I get you?”  She asked him.  
“Can I get a beef burger with extra cheese please?”  Alex requested.  
“Of course.”  She said, noting down his choice.  She then looked at the two of them again.  “Any drinks?”  
“Could I get a Coke please?”  Ross requested.  
“Make that two.”  Alex added.  
“Of course.”  Raven replied politely, noting down their choice.  She then looked at both of them.  “Your food and drinks should be out shortly.”  Raven said with a smile.  She then took their order and walked back to the kitchen to place it.  Alex looked after her as she walked away.  
“Who was _she_?”  He asked Ross with keen interest.   
“That’s my friend Raven.”  Ross said.  Before he could continue, Alex piped up.  
“Friend or _girl_ friend?”  Alex asked teasingly, a smirk on his face.  
“Dude!  I met her _today_!”  Ross exclaimed, looking shocked.  
“So?  Ever heard of love at first sight?”  He asked.  Ross looked at him with an unimpressed look on his face.  
“I’m insulted that you could think so little of me.”  Ross said, acting fake-hurt.  “I like to get to know someone first before I ask them out.”  
“Whatever you say.  I think she’d suit me better though.  She looks too much like you, people would think she’s your sister.”  Alex said teasingly.  Ross paused, thinking back on all the things he had learned about Raven today.  Could this be what was bothering Ross about her?  He needed to call Riker and talk to him about it.  He’d know what to do.

Once Raven was back in the kitchen and had dropped off their order, her best friends, who also happened to be her co-workers, Jasmine and Vanessa, walked up to her.  
“Uh, you do realise you just got assigned to _Ross Lynch_?!”  Vanessa asked immediately, firing questions at her.  
“How do you know who he is?  Is he famous or something?”  Raven asked her, not quite knowing how they knew her new friend.  
“Uh yeah!  He’s a really talented singer, musician, and actor.”  Jasmine replied immediately.   
“I wonder why he didn’t tell me about all of this earlier?” Raven asked more to herself than anyone else, but the other two heard her.  
“What do you mean ‘earlier’, you only just met?”  Vanessa asked.  
“I ran into him earlier today and we kindof hit it off.  We talked for hours before I had to come to work.”  Raven replied.  
“Honey, you are giving us a _full_ rundown on _everything_ that has happened.”  Jasmine demanded.  
“We’ll have a full conversation about all this later ok?”  Raven replied, more of a statement than a question.  
“ _Fine_.”  Jasmine sighed.  
“Ok, talk to you two later.”  Raven said before walking away from both girls.


	4. Chapter 3

As soon as he got up the next morning, Ross decided to call his older brother for advice on what he should do about Raven.  He had absolutely no clue.  After a few rings, Ross heard his brother’s voice through the phone.  It was normal for him to go to either Riker or Rydel for any major problem he had.    
“Hey little bro!  What’s up?”  He asked.  He was obviously having a good day so far and Ross wasn’t sure if the question he was about to ask would ruin it or not.  
“I need some advice.”  Ross said, a slight frown on his face, chewing in his lip in anticipation.  
“Shoot.”  Riker said, almost immediately.  
“I, um, I think I might have found Raven.  I don’t know for sure yet, that’s why I didn’t tell any of you when I met her, but there are just too many similarities between us for it not to be true.  Plus, Alex commented that we looked like we could be siblings.  What I should I do?”  Ross asked, rambling slightly.    
“Wait a minute, slow down.  Did you just say that you think you found Raven?  As in your twin sister Raven.”  Riker clarified.  
“Yes.  I can’t be entirely sure though.  What do I do?”  Ross asked.  He was frowning.  
“Ok.  Before you do anything, you should at least get a DNA test first to make sure.  Also, just keep this between us for now.  We don’t want to give our parents and siblings through the pain of losing Raven again if it isn’t true.”  Riker advised, his tone serious.  “You know, she’s the reason I’m so protective over you guys.”  Riker added.  Ross paused momentarily.  
“Really?”  Ross asked.  
“Yep.  As soon as I found out about Raven, I vowed to myself that I would make sure that nothing bad was going to happen to any of my other siblings if I could do anything about it, even if I got hurt in the process.  I don’t think anyone other than Mum knows.”  Riker explained.  
“Thank you, Riker.  For everything.”  Ross said.  Thanks to Riker, Ross actually felt a lot calmer now than he had been when he had first called his brother.  
“Anytime Ross.  Good luck with getting the DNA test.  Let me know how it turns out ok?”  Riker requested.  Ross smiled at this.  He knew Riker would be waiting for his call about the result.  
“Absolutely.  You’ll be the first person I call.”  Ross said.  With that, he hung up the phone and began contemplating how in the world he would ask Raven about this.  He did know however, he would have to do it soon.  

Riker was having quite a good morning.  Savannah had the day off work so the two of them were going to spend the day together.  What he _didn’t_ expect however, was for his second youngest sibling to call him at 10 in the morning.    
“Hey little bro!  What’s up?”  Riker greeted Ross.    
“Hey Riker.  I need some advice.”  Ross said.  Riker could hear the anxiousness in Ross’ tone and he immediately knew something was up.  
“Shoot.”  He said, almost immediately.  
“I, um, I think I might have found Raven.  I don’t know for sure yet, that’s why I didn’t tell any of you when I met her, but there are just too many similarities between us for it not to be true.  Plus, Alex commented that we looked like we could be siblings.  What I should I do?”  Ross asked, obviously rambling.  The only two times when Ross really rambled was when he was confused or nervous, or sometimes both.  Riker’s eyes went wide at this news.   _After all this time…_  
“Wait a minute, slow down.  Did you just say that you think you found Raven?  As in your twin sister Raven.”  Riker clarified, making sure he was hearing correctly.  
“Yes.  I can’t be entirely sure though.  What should I do?”  Ross asked.  Riker could tell just by his tone of voice that Ross was frowning by this point.  
“Ok.  Before you do anything, you should at least get a DNA test first to make sure.  Also, just keep this between us for now.  We don’t want to drag our parents and siblings through the pain of losing Raven again if it isn’t true.”  Riker advised, his tone serious.  He didn’t want to get his hopes up if it wasn’t and he also knew they shouldn’t tell their siblings or parents in case they were wrong.  “You know, she’s the reason I’m so protective over you guys.”  He added.    
“Really?”  Ross asked after a moment’s silence.  
“Yep.  As soon as I found out about Raven, I vowed to myself that I would make sure that nothing bad was going to happen to any of my other siblings if I could do anything about it, even if I got hurt in the process.  I don’t think anyone other than Mum knows.”  Riker explained.    
The entirety of what he had just said rang true.  He didn’t always show it, but he was majorly protective over his siblings.  They had done everything as a family growing up and even the thought of one of his siblings getting hurt, or worse, losing them, was his absolute worst fear.  He cried himself to sleep for weeks after he found out about Raven.  He felt like he was a failure of a big brother even though he was only 4 when the twins were born.  His family had _finally_ managed to convince him otherwise and then they had actually all become closer because of it.   
“Thank you, Riker.  For everything.”  Ross said.  Riker noted that he seemed calmer now than he had been when he had first called him.  
“Anytime Ross.  Good luck with getting the DNA test.  Let me know how it turns out ok?”  Riker requested.  
“Absolutely.  You’ll be the first person I call.”  Ross said.  Riker smiled at this.  
Riker hung up the phone and sighed as he put it down.  He didn’t want to get his hopes up too much as he didn’t want his family, especially his parents, to get hurt again if it turned out not to be true.  He was happy Ross had thought to come to him to ask him about it though.  Before he could dwell on it any more, Savannah came up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.  
“Hey, you alright?”  She asked kindly, sitting down beside him.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.  Ross just needed some advice.”  Riker said, not really expanding on their conversation.  
“By the sound of it, it was much more than that.”  She said.  Riker sighed.  
“You know how I told you that I had another sister who died when she was born?”  Riker asked.  
“Yes.”  Savannah replied.  
“Well, that’s not the complete truth.  She was actually taken from the hospital the day she was born and we never knew what happened to her.  Because she was so young, she was presumed dead, but no one actually knew what happened to her until now.  Her name was Raven and she was Ross’ twin sister.  Ross just called me to say that he might have actually found her.  He wanted to ask me what I thought he should do because he had no idea.  I told him to get a DNA test so that we would know for sure before telling our family or anything like that as we didn’t want to put them through yet another heartbreak if it wasn’t actually her.”  Riker explained.  By this point, Savannah had sat down beside him and was looking quite surprised at all this new information.  
“I understand why you didn’t tell me about this.  I can tell you it hurt you too much.  By your reaction to Ross’ call _alone_ I could tell.”  Savannah said.  “I honestly hope that she is your sister and Ross hasn’t inadvertently given you false hope.  I don’t blame him though.  If this had happened to me, I’d need someone who knew the situation and who I was close to in order to come to for advice about what I should do about it.”  Savannah said.  
Riker looked at the woman he loved more than anything with a mixture of love and appreciation in his eyes.  He continued to wonder how in the world he possibly got so lucky.  Savannah was his rock, the love of his life, his _person_.  No one could compare with that.


	5. Chapter 4

* _Ross at Raven’s apartment_ *

Raven was sitting in her living room noting down some lyrics she had just thought of when she heard her doorbell ring.  She frowned slightly.  She was sure that she wasn’t waiting for anyone or anything like that, so she was confused as to who it could be.  She got up, closing her lyric book and setting it down on the coffee table and walked to the door.  She opened it and was surprised to see Ross standing in front of her.  
“Raven, I need to talk to you.”  Ross said immediately.  Raven frowned slightly.  
“Is something wrong?”  Raven asked, slightly worried.  
“Can we go inside?  This isn’t exactly the sort of thing that can be explained outside in a hallway.”  Ross asked.  Raven nodded and led him inside, closing the door behind them. They walked to her living room and sat down on the couch.  
“What is it?”  Raven asked.  Ross took a deep breath in and out.  
“I um, there’s really no easy way to say this but I think you might be my long-lost twin sister and I wanna know if you would be up for a DNA test to confirm it?”  Ross asked.  Raven could tell by the look on his face that he was both serious about the issue and anxious about her reply at the same time.  
“Of all of the things that I was expecting to come out of your mouth, that was _definitely_ not one of them.”  Raven said, shocked at what he had just asked her.  
“I know it sounds crazy-” Ross began, but Raven cut him off.  
“You know, thinking back on it, it doesn’t actually sound that crazy.  There are too many similarities between us to ignore, plus the fact that I was always on the move as a child and I never felt truly at home anywhere we went.  It doesn’t take a genius to put the pieces together.  You’re right though, we should get a DNA test to prove our theory.”  Raven replied logically.  Ross sighed in relief, he had thought it was going to be _much_ harder to convince Raven to do this than it had actually turned out to be.   
“Thank you Raven.”  Ross thanked her.  
“Don’t worry Ross, we’ll figure this out, I promise.”  Raven said, pulling him into a hug.

* _Time Skip – the day Ross and Raven get the DNA test results_ *

Ross had met up with Raven at her apartment since they had both agreed to meet there after he had gone to pick up the DNA test results.  In their hearts they had a feeling it would be positive, there were just too many similarities for it not to be.   
“Ok.  Moment of truth.”  Ross said.  Raven nodded, taking a deep breath in and out.  Ross opened the envelope, and took the document out.  
“What does it say?”  Raven asked expectantly.  Ross scanned the page for the result they were both looking for.  As soon as his eyes landed on the result, his face lit up and he looked up at Raven.  
“We’re twins!”  He exclaimed.  Both of them screamed in excitement and hugged each other, Ross picking his sister up and spinning her around.  “You have no idea how long I have waited for this.”  He said, putting her down and embracing her in a hug in the process.  
“I think I do.”  Raven replied with a smile.  
“Let’s call the family and tell them about you!”  Ross suggested.  Raven paused momentarily.  
“I don’t think this is a conversation for over the phone.  Maybe organise a family dinner to tell them?  Saturday night maybe?  Call Mum and Dad to organise it and then text our siblings to inform them, and tell them this is _not_ optional.”  Raven suggested.  Ross nodded at her suggestion.  
“Ok.”  Ross said in agreement.  
“You’ve told me so much about them, I _need_ to meet them.”  Raven replied.  Ross made a noise of agreement before taking out his phone.  Ross immediately began scrolling through his contacts.  

Both he and Raven knew that they were going to tell their parents first.  After finding the contact he was looking for (Dad), he clicked the ‘call’ button.  After a few rings, their father, Mark, answered the phone.  
“Hello, Mark Lynch speaking.”  
“Hi Dad, it’s Ross.”  Ross greeted.  
“Oh, hi Ross, how are you?”  She asked.  
“I’m amazing actually.  Is Mum there?  I have to ask you both something.”  He said, trying to suppress the ever-growing smile on his face.  
“Sure, let me get her.”  He said.  The twins then heard him call out for her.  A few months later, they heard their mother’s voice.  Ross looked at his twin who had an anxious look on her face.  “Alright, we’re both here.  What is it?”  Mark asked.  
“I was wondering if we could have a family dinner on Saturday night?  I have huge news to tell everyone and it’s not exactly something I can share over the phone.”  Ross said, eyeing Raven as he was speaking.  She was staring at the phone, which was currently on speaker, with a look of longing and wonder in her eyes.  She was hearing her biological parents’ voices for the first time and Ross couldn’t even imagine how she was feeling.  
“Of course.  Is something wrong?”  Stormie asked.  
“Absolutely, positively not.  I just have really exciting news that I need to share with everyone and it’s not a phone conversation.”  Ross said.  
“Alright.  How does Saturday night, 7pm sound?”  Stormie asked.  
“Perfect.”

**Group Chat – Siblings**

**ROSS:  
Family dinner.  Saturday.  7pm.  Not optional.  If you have any other plans, cancel them.  **

**RIKER:  
Where’s this coming from?**

**ROCKY:  
What happened?  Is something wrong?**

**RYLAND:  
Did you get someone pregnant?**

**ROSS:  
No, nothing’s wrong.  Everything’s amazing actually.  I have huge news for everyone and I can’t tell you guys over the phone, and no Ryland, I didn’t get anyone pregnant.  I’m offended that you think so little of me.**

**ROSS:  
You’re all going to be there right?  It’s really, really important**

**RIKER:  
I’ll be there.**

**ROCKY:  
Wouldn’t miss it**

**RYDEL:  
I’ll most definitely be there**

**RYLAND:  
Me too**

**ROSS:  
Awesome.  I’ll see you all on Saturday!**

The twins both knew that Ross didn’t need to text his parents as Ross had already talked to them, but they were having a hard time not telling their siblings what the news was, as they both desperately wanted to, but they both knew that this was not a conversation to have over the phone.  They only did so with their parents because they wanted to organise a family dinner with them to tell everyone else.

By the time they had called their parents and Ross had texted their siblings, it had gotten to about 3pm and Raven needed to start getting ready for work.  Her shift started at 5pm and she hated being late.  She knew she didn’t actually need 2 hours to get ready but she was planning to get something to eat before she started her shift started and she needed to get changed into her work outfit.  The bar she worked at was walking distance from her apartment but it would still take her around 20 minutes to get there.  
“I need to get to work so I’m going to have to say farewell for now.  I’ll see you on Saturday ok?”  Raven said.  
“I’ll pick you up at 5:30.”  Ross replied with a smile.  
“See you then.” Raven replied, kissing Ross on the cheek briefly.

As soon as Ross was in the car heading home, he decided to fulfil his promise to his older brother and tell him the good news.  By his text, he was sure Riker had figured it out by now, but Ross decided to call him and tell him anyway. 

Riker looked at his phone and the texts that Ross had sent.  It wasn’t hard for him to figure out what had happened.   _Please let me be right._  
Before he could think on it any more, Ross’ contact lit up his phone.  He immediately answered.  
“Hey Ross.”  He greeted his younger brother.  
“Hey Riker.  I’m guessing by my text you figured out what the big news is?”  Ross asked.  Riker could tell that this was more of a statement than a question.  
“It is her?  You’ve found our sister?”  Riker asked, craving confirmation of this fact before he dared to believe it.  
“Yes, I have found her.”  Ross confirmed.    
Riker’s hand covered his mouth and tears welled in his eyes.  He couldn’t believe this was actually happening.  

Savannah entered Riker and her house, throwing her keys on the table by the door and closing it behind her.  
“I’m home!”  She called.  No answer.  She frowned.  She had seen Riker’s car in the garage and he _always_ answered her if he was home.  “Riker?”  She called.  Still no answer.  She then walked upstairs to their bedroom to put her bag away and get changed only to see the door closed and hear crying coming from inside.  Oh no.  She opened the door to see Riker on their bed, tears streaming down his face.   
“Riker!”  She exclaimed, rushing over to him.  “What’s wrong?  Talk to me baby.”  She requested, trying to calm him down.  
“Nothing’s wrong.  I’m crying from happiness.”  He said, trying to get his breathing under control.  “Ross just called and gave me the news I had been praying for.”  He said.  “The DNA test results were positive.  Ross found Raven.”  He revealed.  


	6. Chapter 5

* _Two Days Later – Saturday evening_ * 

Ross picked Raven up and drove her to his family home where they were all meeting for the family dinner.  Riker had sent a text to Ross to tell him that everyone was already at the house and they were just waiting on Ross and Raven.  It was barely 6:30pm!  They must all have been anxious as to what Ross had to say.   
“Do you think they’ll like me?”  Raven asked tentatively when they were stopped at some traffic lights.  Ross looked at her like she had grown a second head.  
“Are you kidding?  They’ll love you!”  Ross replied.  He then took her hand in his.  “You have no idea how long we’ve all been waiting for this.  I’m not sure what all their initial reactions will be, considering we all thought you were dead for all these years, but I know for a fact that they will all love you.  I promise.”  Ross said in a more serious tone.  Raven smiled at him.  Knowing this eased her mind slightly.  She then noticed the cars a few cars in front of them had started moving and the lights had changed.    
“Ross, lights.”  She said, gesturing towards the traffic lights.  He immediately put both hands back on the wheel and began moving with the traffic again.

* _Fifteen minutes later (6:45pm) – at the family home_ *

Ross and Raven got out of Ross’ car and Raven looked at the house in front of her.  She knew that the next few steps she took would be the hardest of her life so far.  This was not because she was scared, not in the slightest, but because she was feeling so many emotions.  Happiness, nervousness (in a good way), suspense, and excitement all bottled into one.  
“You ready?”  Ross asked.  Raven looked up at her brother.  
“As I’ll ever be.”  She replied simply.  Ross gave her a reassuring smile, took her hand in his, and led her towards the front door.  Once they got there, Ross knocked on the door.  A few moments later, Ryland opened the front door.  
“Hey Ross!  Everyone’s already here.  Oh!  Is this your big news?”  Ryland asked, looking from Ross to Raven and then back to Ross.  
“Yes, but let’s go inside so I can tell everyone who this lovely lady beside me is.”  Ross said mysteriously.  Ryland raised an eyebrow curiously at his brother but let them both in nonetheless.

They walked into the living room to see their brothers and father spread out on the couch talking, and their Mum was in the kitchen cooking dinner.  When they heard Ryland, Ross, and Raven walk in they all looked towards the hallway to the door.  
“Ross!”  They all exclaimed.  Raven stood in the doorway, looking on with a smile on her face.  It stung a little that they greeted him with so much enthusiasm when she was no more than a stranger to them.  She knew that wouldn’t be the case for much longer, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.  A moment later, all heads turned to Raven.    
“Who’s this?”  Rocky asked.  “Is this your big news?”  He added.  Raven noticed that Riker had a look on his face that made it obvious that he knew exactly who she was and what was going on.  
“Yep.  You all might want to sit down.”  Ross suggested.  The rest of his siblings and his parents, as his mother had now joined them, all frowned but did as they were told.  “Now, the reason I called you all here tonight is that I have an announcement to make.  Something that affects the whole family.”  Ross said.  He and Raven looked at each other and she nodded slightly.  “This is Raven…my twin sister.”  Ross announced.  Silence filled the room.  It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.  Everyone had looks of shock on their faces and, the twins could tell, they didn’t quite know how to process what they had just heard.  Ryland was the first one to find his voice.  
“Are…are you sure?”  He asked, his tone soft but there was a mixture of both hope and disbelief in his voice.  
“Yes.  We both took a DNA test to make sure before we told anyone because we just thought there were too many similarities for us not to be.”  Ross said.  All eyes, bar Ross, zoomed in on Raven and she felt like she was being studied under a microscope.  Riker was the first one to get up and rush over to them.  Immediately, and without warning or saying a word, he enveloped Raven into a bone-crushing hug.    
“I missed you so much.”  He said.  His voice was only a whisper, but it wavered like he was crying.  Soon enough all her other family members were embracing her in hugs and everyone had tears of joy streaming down their faces.  Stormie was the last one to hug Raven though.  
“Hi Mum.”  Raven said simply, tear tracks staining her face.  With that, Stormie embraced her in the tightest, most loving hug she had ever received.  This alone made her want to start crying all over again.  
“Oh, my darling.  I never thought I’d see you again.”  She whispered, holding her daughter close.  Emotion laced her voice and Raven knew that the words that she spoke were true.  Raven honestly couldn’t find the right words to express her feelings in this moment, so she didn’t say anything, instead choosing to hug her mother ever tighter.

After everyone had finished greetings and reunions and everyone’s eyes were finally dry.  Stormie, Rydel, and Raven served up dinner and brought it to the table.  Once they were all sitting down at the table they began talking.  Rocky then asked a question that Raven knew was on everyone’s minds but they hadn’t actually talked about.  
“Tell us about your life.”  Rocky requested.  
“After my ‘mother’ died when I was young, I was placed in an orphanage and lived there until I was 18.  After that, I got kicked out so I got a job and moved into an apartment in LA.  I’ve been there ever since.”  Raven replied.  “It wasn’t all bad at the orphanage though, I had friends, and it was a nice environment to grow up in if you couldn’t grow up with your family.”  Raven added.  
“You were so close all this time.”  Their Mum said wistfully.  Raven hummed in agreement.  
“You couldn’t have known.  For all I knew, my only family died when I was young and I didn’t have anyone else, so I was put in an orphanage.  I never want any of you to think that this was any of your fault.  The only person to blame is the mother I grew up with.”  Raven told them.  “Besides, I found my way back to you all.”   
“Raven, we have all missed you so much and thought about you every day since you were taken.  From the time he found out about you, every year on Ross’ birthday, Ross insisted that we always add an extra chair to the table for you whenever we are celebrating his birthday because he knew that there was someone else who should be celebrating as well.”  Stormie said.  Raven looked at Ross, who was sitting to her right, and she noticed that he was blushing and looking at the remaining food on his plate.  She could tell that the fact that she wasn’t there for all these years made him sad.  She placed her hand on his.  
“I should have searched harder.”  Raven heard Ross say softly from beside her.  Her head snapped up so she was looking at him and she saw him hanging his head in shame, his eyes closed, obviously trying to hold in tears.  She turned to him, focussing her attention on her twin.  
“Ross, look at me.”  She all but commanded.  He lifted his head slowly and opened his eyes to look at her, looking directly into her eyes.  “There was absolutely no way you could have known where I was.  The fact that you searched for me _at all_ is amazing.  You couldn’t even have known I was even _alive_ , let alone where I was.  This is not and will _never_ be your fault.”  She said seriously, trying to ease her brother’s mind even just a little bit.  
“Raven’s right.”  Rydel said.  Everyone then looked at her but the only person she was looking at was Ross.  “You never stopped looking for Raven even though you knew she could be dead.  Even better, you found your twin when you didn’t even know what she _looked like_ and you had nothing to go off but your eyes.  I think that is an achievement in and of itself and we are all so proud of you.  Think about it this way, Raven is here with us now because you never gave up on her and never stopped looking for her.”  She told him.  Around the table, everyone else, including Raven, was agreeing with Rydel and congratulating Ross on finding Raven.  
“Ross, you gave me the one thing I have always desperately wanted but have never had the chance to have.”  Raven said, her tone soft.  Ross looked at her.  “A family.”


	7. Chapter 6

They had all relocated to the living room and the topic of music had come up.  
“So, I hear you can sing.”  Rocky said to Raven, more of a statement than a question.  
“Where may I ask did you hear that?”  Raven asked slyly.  
“I have my ways.”  Rocky said mysteriously.  Raven looked at him and raised an eyebrow, making him cave instantly.  “Ross heard you in the shower and told me.”  Rocky admitted.  Raven looked at her twin.  
“You know it’s rude to eavesdrop Ross.”  She commented, suppressing a smirk.  
“Sorry.”  Ross mumbled.  “I’m glad I did though.  Your voice is amazing.”  He complimented her.  
“Sure it is.”  Raven replied sceptically, not believing her brother.  “I’m guessing you want me to sing something for you?”  She asked, more of a statement than a question.   
“Yes!”  All her siblings exclaimed in unison.  
“Would you like to hear a cover or an original?”  She asked.  
“You write songs?”  Riker asked.  
“Yeah.  I’m not that famous or anything, I have a YouTube channel that I write, record, and cover songs for, but the job I have at the bar is where my main efforts go.”  Raven told them.  
“That’s so cool!”  Rydel exclaimed.   
Ross could tell by the look on Raven’s face, and the fact that she was biting her lip nervously, that she was nervous to sing in front of people.  He knew that singing in front of a video camera in your room and singing in front of real people were very different things.    
“Do you have a piano?”  Raven asked suddenly.    
“Yeah, in the music room.”  Riker said almost instantly.    
“Could you show me?  I want to play you a song that means a lot to me and I am considering doing as a cover on YouTube.”  Raven replied.  
“Sure!”  Ross replied, jumping up and almost dragging her off the couch towards the music room, their family following closely behind.

* _In the music room_ *

The moment Raven entered the music room, she looked around in awe.  There were so many instruments as well as what looked like a recording booth and studio.  What drew Raven’s eye for the song she wanted to sing though, was a black electric guitar resting against an amplifier.  She walked over to it quietly and picked up the instrument.  She was a self-taught pianist, guitarist (acoustic, bass, and electric), and singer.  She had never told anyone any of this however.  Music was her escape and her way of calming herself on a bad day.  Without saying a word, Raven plugged in the guitar and turning it on.  Her hands hovered over the strings momentarily before beginning to play.  The moment she strummed the opening chord, she began to sing.

[www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM4MX5tbF8A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM4MX5tbF8A)  
  
 _You've been runnin' round, runnin' round, runnin' round throwin' that dirt all on my name_  
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd call you up  
You've been going round, going round, going round every party in L.A.  
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd be at one 

Her entire family was amazed at how good Raven was and how well she could sing.  They all needed that she needed to be heard.  While she was playing, however, Ross had an idea.  Rocky and Ryland began clicking along with the rhythm, Riker was all smiles, and Rydel had begun filming them on her phone.

 _I know that dress is karma, perfume regret_  
You got me thinking 'bout when you were mine   
And now I'm all up on ya, what you expect?  
But you're not coming home with me tonight

Ross had made his way over to a synthetic drum pad, which was resting on top of a table next to a computer.  He turned it on, noticing that it was already plugged it into an amplifier from earlier usage, and began pressing the buttons in order to add a beat to the music.  Raven looked at him, eyes shining with happiness, but did not stop singing.

 _You just want attention, you don't want my heart_  
Maybe you just hate the thought of me with someone new  
Yeah, you just want attention, I knew from the start  
You're just making sure I'm never gettin' over you

 _You've been runnin' round, runnin' round, runnin' round throwing that dirt all on my name_  
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd call you up  
Baby, now that we're, now that we're, now that we're right here standing face-to-face  
You already know, already know, already know that you won 

 _I know that dress is karma, perfume regret, yeah_  
You got me thinking 'bout when you were mine  
And now I'm all up on ya, what you expect?   
But you're not coming home with me tonight 

 _You just want attention, you don't want my heart_  
Maybe you just hate the thought of me with someone new  
Yeah, you just want attention, I knew from the start  
You're just making sure I'm never gettin' over you, oh

 _What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?_  
What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?  
Yeah, you just want attention   
What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?   
What are you doin' to me, what are you doin', huh?

_I know that dress is karma, perfume regret  
You got me thinking 'bout when you were mine_

Ross could clearly hear the emotion in her voice her cover of the song, and could see as clear as day that, as she was singing, she was completely immersed in the song and the lyrics.  He could tell just by the look in her eyes as she was singing that it was about more than just her liking the song.  He could also tell that their entire family felt the same way and could also see what he saw.  
They all knew that this was one of the best voices they had ever come across.  Ross was the first one to find his voice.  
“That was unreal!”  Ross exclaimed.  “You have an incredible voice!  You didn’t tell me you played guitar so well!”  
“Thanks, and no one else knows.”  Raven replied, blushing at the praise.  
“That _has_ to change.  Ross is right.  That was amazing Raven.”  Riker complimented her.  With that, everyone began complimenting her not just on her breathtaking voice, but on her talent playing the guitar as well.    
“Thank you everyone.”  Raven thanked her family.  
“How long have you been playing?”  Rocky asked.  
“A few years now.  I’m a self-taught musician so I can’t really remember.  I sing, play piano, and guitar.  My next endeavour is the drums.”  Raven told them.  She explained.  Everyone, especially her siblings, looked at her in shock.  
“You taught yourself how to play all those instruments?”  Ryland asked, wanting to know ever more about his new sister.  
“I have to do something with my free time.”  Raven said.  “There was a piano at the orphanage where I grew up, so I learned to play on that.  A few years after I left the orphanage, I decided to buy a guitar and learn to play that.  My next endeavour is drums.”  
“I could teach you drums if you want.”  Ross offered.    
“I’d like that.”  Raven replied, smiling.  Ross smiled at this.  What neither of them noticed was their entire family smiling at the exchange between the two.


	8. Chapter 7

* _A few days later_ *

Raven was on her computer watching videos of her siblings.  She wanted to find out as much as possible about them and the rest of her family, especially because they couldn’t spend as much time as they’d like together.  She knew she should tell her best friends, Vanessa and Jasmine, about all of this, but she wasn’t quite sure how they would react.  Suddenly, her phone began ringing.  She picked it up without looking at the contact.  
“Hello, this is Raven.”  She greeted.  
“Hello darlin’.”  A voice that Raven both _despised_ and was terrified of echoed through the phone.  Hearing his voice alone always made her skin crawl in the worst way possible.  
“Mason.”  Raven all but growled.  “What do you want?”  She all but demanded.  She was terrified, but she needed to remain strong.  She couldn’t let him find out that he scared her the way he did.  
“You.”  He said simply.  
“Well, _that’s_ not going to happen.”  She snapped.  
“We shall see…”. He said before having up the phone.  She knew she _couldn’t_ tell her family about Mason.  She just met them and she didn’t want them to worry about her past abusive relationship and an ex who wouldn’t leave her alone.  It had been years since they broke up, but she still received threatening phone calls from him and phone calls saying he wanted to get back together.

* _Location change - At Riker’s house_ *

Something had been playing on Riker’s mind ever since Raven had shown them her unbelievable talent.  He couldn’t shake the feeling that the song she sang was about more than just her love for music or that she liked the song.  It seemed to Riker as if she were singing from experience.  He needed to talk to her.  He picked up his phone and looked through his contacts and clicked on Raven’s name and put the phone to his ear.  A few moments later, he heard her voice over the phone.  
“Hey Riker.  What’s up?”  Raven greeted him happily.  
“Hi Raven.  Something’s been bugging me and I need to ask you about it.”  Riker said.  
“Sure, go for it.”  Raven encouraged him, her voice less cheerful by this point.  
“When you were singing to us, it seemed as though the song you sang was about more than just your love for music or that you liked the song.  It seemed as if you were singing from experience.  Am I wrong?”  Riker asked.  Raven was silent for a moment before she spoke.  
“No, you’re correct.”  Raven said sadly.  
“What happened?”  Riker asked sympathetically.  
“I fell in love for a guy who ended up being bad for me.  Let’s just say it was an abusive relationship that went on for far too long.”  Raven revealed.  She didn’t say what type of abuse, but Riker didn’t want to press her to go into detail if she didn’t feel comfortable.  He knew she would tell him if she wanted to.  It made him furious at her ex-boyfriend, but he didn’t let it show in his voice because that wouldn’t be fair to Raven.  
“How long?”  Riker asked simply.  
“About a year and a half.”  Raven revealed.  However, she _didn’t_ tell him about the continuous calls and threats ever since they broke up.    
“At least you’re away from him now.”  Riker said, hoping to make her feel better.  “I can’t even imagine what you went through.  But I do know you’re a wonderful and strong person that I am so proud of, and now you have your family to lean on if you ever need us for anything, no matter how big or small.”   Riker said empathetically.  
“Thank you Riker.  You have no idea how amazing it feels to know I actually have people who will support me and be there for me no matter what.”  Raven replied.  
“No problem.  Remember, anytime you need us, we’ll be there.”  He reminded her.  Raven smiled at his words.  “Does anyone other than me in our family know?”  He asked.  
“No, just you.”  Raven replied.   _Even though you still don’t know everything._  
“Well thank you for telling me.”  Riker said.  “You know you should probably tell Ross as well.  I’m sure he’d want to know.”  He suggested.  
“Ok.  I’ll tell him when I next talk to him.”  Raven agreed.  They talked for a while longer until Raven had to get ready for work. 

* _Later – Raven arriving at work_ *

Both Vanessa and Jasmine had decided that they would confront Raven about her mysterious behaviour lately.  They could both tell that something had been different with her ever since the day Ross had entered the bar.  She seemed to be happier, more content with life.  It wasn’t that they thought that that was bad, but they wanted to know what was going on.  So, as soon as she walked into the back room to put her stuff down, they decided to corner her.  
“We have questions and you are going to answer them.”  Jasmine said almost forcefully.  
“You have no choice.”  Vanessa added.  
“Ok, what do you want to know?”  Raven sighed, knowing this was coming and ready for the tidal wave of questions.  Jasmine and Vanessa looked at each other and then back at Raven, almost as if they had planned the questions and ambush.  
“First question, where have you been the last few weeks?  It’s been almost as if you completely disappear when you’re not at work.”  Vanessa asked.  Raven looked around quickly to make sure no one was listening.  
“Ok, I might as well tell you everything from the start.”  Raven said.  “However, it’s a bit of a long story so would it be ok if we both came to my place after our shift and then I’ll explain everything?  It’ll take longer than we have right now.”  Raven asked.  Jasmine and Vanessa glanced at each other momentarily.  Without a pause and in unison, they both replied.  
“We’re in.”

* _Later – After their shifts – back at Raven’s apartment_ *

Once the girls were back at Raven’s apartment, they all made themselves comfortable on Raven’s King-sized bed and Raven began telling her best friends about what had happened to her since the day she had bumped into Ross.  
“So, in short, Ross Lynch is your long-lost twin brother, you were kidnapped at birth, and you’ve been getting to know your family lately and that’s why you’ve been MIA.”  Jasmine said, summing up what she had just heard.  Raven nodded at this.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but Ross and I weren’t sure and we wanted to wait until we had the DNA results and until _after_ we told our family before we told our friends.  I also didn’t know how to tell you.”  Raven explained, looking guilty about not telling Jasmine and Vanessa.  
“No, we completely understand where you are coming from.  We would have done the same thing.”  Vanessa replied in an attempt to comfort her.  She put a comforting hand on Raven’s shoulder.  
“I agree with Vanessa.”  Jasmine added immediately.  Raven looked at her best friends, eternally grateful for their understanding.  
“Thank you.  Both of you.”  Raven thanked them.  All three girls smiled at each other before going in for a group hug and then heading off to bed.


	9. Chapter 8

* _A week later – at Rydel’s apartment_ *

The six siblings, along with Vanni who Riker had brought with him, were currently sitting in Rydel’s living room hanging out.  At some point they had started discussing how they would reveal Raven to the world.  Raven didn’t mind being kept a secret, but the others, Ross in particular, were adamant that she was not to be hidden unless she truly wanted to be.  She had been gone too long already.  Riker, Rydel, Rocky, Ross, and Ryland decided that it was time for Raven to be introduced to the world.  
“You know you don’t have to do this.”  Raven said.  This sparked many protests and “ _Yes we do_ ”s.   
“I, we don’t want to hide you.  Unless you explicitly tell us to keep you hidden, we want to tell people about you.”  Ross added almost immediately.  
“How should we do it?”  Riker asked the group.  “Twitter?  A YouTube video?  An interview?”  He said, throwing out suggestions.  
“I know we’ve already done it, but why don’t we film a YouTube video doing the Sibling Tag again saying that it’s a redo since we have even more questions, but have a question which somehow reveals Raven?”  Rydel suggested.  Everyone’s eyes lit up and Rydel knew her suggestion held a resounding ‘yes’ from everyone.  
“Absolutely.”  Ross said, voicing everyone’s words.  Rydel was then tasked with compiling some questions for them to answer, so, she took to Twitter.

_@ RydelLynch: Another Q &A video with my siblings coming soon! Send me questions you would like us to answer with the hashtag #LynchCrewQA_

“Sent.  Now we wait for people to tweet us.”  Rydel said simply.  
Once Rydel had compiled some questions, given them to Vanni, and the camera was rolling, Riker, Rydel, Rocky, Ross, and Ryland all made themselves as comfortable as they could on the same couch that they had been on for the previous video they did all together, while Raven was standing hidden behind the camera along with Vanni, who was going to be asking the questions.  

After they had all answered a few questions, the siblings had agreed that it was time to introduce Raven to the world.   
“Is there anything that you either haven’t told each other or know about each other that you haven’t told the fans that you would like to admit?”  Rydel asked slyly.  
“I believe Ross has something to say.”  Riker said subtly, knowing that Ross wanted to be the one to reveal his twin.  
“Ok.  Nobody outside our family and partners knows this, but I was born a twin. My twin’s name is Raven Emily Lynch.  The reason she has been a secret for so many years is that she was stolen the day we were born, and none of us knew she was alive.”  Ross said.  To everyone in the room, they could see that it was difficult for him.  They knew that there was still a part of him that felt guilty for not finding her before now.  “However, a few months ago, I found her.”  He added.  
“Raven, would you come here please?”  Riker said, looking at her instead of the camera.  Raven smiled at them and walked over to sit down.  Since the couch was too small to fit all six of them, five was already a squeeze, Raven sat on the floor in between Riker and Ross, facing the camera and waving as she did so.  
“Hi everyone.  As Ross just told you, my name is Raven and I am his twin sister.”  Raven introduced herself.  

The rest of the video was spent answering questions and getting to know Raven, which continued even after the camera was turned off and they ran out of questions.

* _The Next Day_ *

Once Rydel had finished editing and uploading the video she and her siblings had filmed, she shared it with Twitter and Instagram for all the fans to see.

_@ RydelLynch:  New video is up on my channel!  Another video with my siblings! Plus, we’ve got a very exciting announcement that you are not going to want to miss! “Sibling Tag + Announcement”_


	10. Chapter 9

* _A few days later – Raven at work_ *

It was a regular evening at work for Raven.  What she _didn’t_ know though, was that it would not be so for much longer.  She was behind the bar serving drinks when she noticed her ex walk in.  She froze. He immediately knelt down behind the bar in order to hide from him.  She pulled her knees close and curled up into a ball.  She could feel a panic attack coming on.  

Kayley, who was behind the bar with Raven, knelt down next to her, placing a comforting hand on Raven’s knee.   
“R-R-Riker.  C-call, R-Riker.”  Raven stuttered.  Kayley looked up at Vanessa and Jasmine, who had come over as soon as they noticed what was happening.  Jasmine made a dash for the back to get her phone.  Kayley knew that the only thing that would spark this reaction from her would be her ex-boyfriend.  Even though they broke up years ago, the memory of him continues to follow her around like a shadow.   
“Vanessa, can you stay with Raven until Riker gets here.  I’ll take over the bar.  Also, see if you can try and calm her down.”  Kayley told.  “Do you know how to deal with a panic attack?”  Kayley asked.  
“Yes, I do, and don’t worry, she won’t go out of my sight until her brother gets here.”  Vanessa said seriously.  “I’ll take her out back when she calms down and can stand.”  Vanessa added.  Kayley nodded at this suggestion.

Jasmine rummaged through Raven’s bag looking for her phone before finally finding it in a side pocket.  She opened the phone and went straight to Raven’s contacts.  As soon as she saw Riker’s contact, she clicked on the call button and put the phone to her ear, waiting for him to answer.  A few rings later, he did.  
“Hey Raven!  What’s up?”    
“This isn’t Raven, it’s her friend Jasmine.  I have some bad news.  Raven has just had a panic attack at work because she saw her boyfriend walk in.  She asked me to call you.”  Jasmine explained.  “Do you know where she works?”  She asked.  
“I know she works at a bar, but she hasn’t told me which one.”  Riker replied.  Jasmine immediately gave him the address.  
“I’m walking to my car right now.  I’m not sure how long it will take me to get there.”  Riker said.  “Please don’t let her be alone.”  He all but ordered.  Jasmine knew he didn’t mean it in a mean way, just being a ‘protective older brother’ way, which she could understand completely.  
“Don’t worry, she won’t be.”  Jasmine reassured him.  “Kayley, our manager has already told Vanessa to stay with her and take her to the back until you get her.”  Jasmine added.  
“Thank you, Jasmine.  You might want to call Ross to ask him to take her home.  He’s closer to where you are.”  Riker suggested.  
“Ok.  I will.”  Jasmine replied.  
“I’ll get there as soon as I can.”  He said.  
“Anytime Riker.”  Jasmine replied before hanging up.  Jasmine then went scrolled through Raven’s phone to find Ross’ number.  Once she did, she clicked ‘Call’.

Ross had a bad feeling all evening that something was going to happen to Raven, and he didn’t like it at all.  He knew she was at work, but she should be safe there.  Right?  Even though he hoped he was wrong, he couldn’t shake the feeling.  He was going through some music that he had recorded when his phone started ringing.  He looked at his phone to see Raven’s number.  He frowned.   _Wasn’t she at work?_  
He picked up the phone and put it to his ear.  
“Hey Raven, what’s up?”  He asked.  The voice he was faced with, however, was not his sister.   
“Ross?  My name is Jasmine, I’m one of Raven’s friends and co-workers.  I think we met when you came to the bar one day.”    
“Oh!  Yes.  Hi Jasmine, how are you?”  Ross asked.  He had never met Jasmine, but Raven had mentioned her and another girl, Vanessa, quite a few times.  
“I’m good, Raven, not so much.  She had a panic attack at work.”  Jasmine replied.  Ross’ face immediately turned to one of worry.  “Riker said to call you to ask you if you could help get her home 

* _Later_ *

Ross had managed to get Raven back to her apartment and calm her down, Riker arriving shortly afterwards.  
“What was all this about?”  Ross asked, genuinely confused as to what could have triggered that sort of reaction.  Raven looked up at Ross, her eyes still slightly red from crying.  She took a deep breath in and out.  
“A few years ago, I fell in love for a guy who ended up being very bad for me.  Let’s just say it was an abusive relationship that went on for far too long.”  Raven revealed.  She didn’t specify what type of abuse she was subject to, but Ross could guess and didn’t want to pressure her to tell him about it, especially now.  Neither of her brothers said anything as she was telling them about her experience.  Riker had heard this before, but this didn’t stop him from being angry at her ex-boyfriend.  Ross, on the other hand, hadn’t heard this before so he was absolutely fuming.  He tried not to show it as he knew it wouldn’t be fair to his sister, but Raven could tell that both of her brothers were furious at her ex.  She completely understood why, but she was also grateful that neither of them pressed her on the issue.    
“How long?”  Ross asked simply, mimicking Riker’s question from when Raven had told him about it.  
“About a year and a half.”  Raven revealed.    
“Anyway, I saw him at work this evening and I just completely freaked out.”  Raven told them.  
By the looks on their faces when she said that, they suspected that it was about more than just the fact that it was about more than just seeing but not interacting with her ex.  
“Do you want one or both of us to stay here tonight?”  Ross suggested.  Raven smiled.  
“I’d like that.”  Raven replied.  
“I assume it’ll be Ross since you’ll need to get back to Vanni?”  Raven asked, looking at Riker.  
“I’ll stay with you if you need me to.”  Riker offered.  “I’m sure she’ll understand.”  He added.  
“Thank you Riker.  I’m sure she would understand, but I think Ross will be able to keep me safe.  Raven replied.  Riker smiled at his younger sister and nodded at this, agreeing with her.  He gave her a hug and kissed her on the heading out.  Ross then looked at Raven.  
“You know that you’re going to have to tell the rest of our family about this right?”  Ross said, more of a statement than a question.  She sighed.  
“I know.”  She replied.  


	11. Chapter 10

* _A few weeks later_ *

Raven had told her family about what had happened the weekend after her panic attack.  It was safe to say they had become even more protective over her than they already were.   _Especially_ Riker and Rocky.  
It was a Friday afternoon and Raven was getting ready for a busy evening at work.  She had caught up with Rocky and Rydel this morning before they had to head off, but she didn’t mind.  She was so glad to have a family in the first place, there was no way that she was going to complain, especially since they wanted to spend time with her as well.  

About five minutes before she was going to leave, she heard a knock on her door.  She assumed Rocky or Rydel had left something at her apartment, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.  She opened the door only to be faced with Mason, her ex.  A look of fear crossed her face and before she could do or say anything, she felt a piercing pain in her chest.  She felt all the air leave her lungs and her eyes widened, she knew what had happened.  She looked down slowly to see a knife sticking out of her body and blood quickly appearing through her shirt.  The last thing she saw before the world faded into darkness was his previous stoic expression turning into a sadistic smirk.  

It was half an hour after Raven was set to start and all of her co-workers were worried.  Raven was _never_ late, let _alone_ this late.  Everyone was worried about her.  She hadn’t answered any of their calls so Kayley had asked Vanessa to go to Raven’s apartment and check on her.  Vanessa had never been more grateful of her habit of going for runs and going to the gym as she sprinted to Raven’s apartment, not caring of the strange looks she must have been getting.  She got upstairs and ran down the hallway to see Raven’s door slightly ajar.  Raven _never_ left her door open, _especially_ if she was out.  Vanessa felt her nerves increase.  As she pushed opened the door, the sight she was faced which both shook her to the core and made her scream in terror.  Raven was lying, unconscious, in a pool of what could only be her own blood.  Without waiting even a second, she whipped her phone out and called an ambulance.  When she was asked if Raven had a pulse, she immediately knelt down, not caring if she got blood on her uniform.  As soon as she felt one, it was weak but there nonetheless, she thanked every god in every religion she knew of that her friend was still alive.  She then called Kayley to tell her what happened.  A few rings later, Kayley picked up.  
“Vanessa, did you find out why Raven is late?”  Kayley asked curious.  
“Y-yes.”  Vanessa stuttered.  
“What’s wrong?”  Kayley asked immediately.  Vanessa could tell that she was frowning.  
“She…I…” Vanessa began, not knowing if she could continue.  She took a deep breath in and out to calm herself.  “She’s been stabbed by someone.  I’m staying with her until the ambulance gets here.”  Vanessa said.  Her voice was wavering, but Kayley knew she was serious.  
“Ok, Vanessa, you go to the hospital with her.  I don’t want her being alone.  I will call her family.”  Kayley said through the phone.    
“O-Ok.”  Vanessa said softly.  
“Vanessa, Raven is going to be alright.  I know it.  She’s strong.”  Kayley tried to reassure her.  Even though it didn’t help much, Vanessa appreciated the gesture.

* _At the bar_ *

All the employees’ faces were confused.  They could tell something was wrong with Raven both by the way her name was spoken and the fact that Kayley’s expression had turned from her normal one of kindness and welcoming to seriousness and her body language screamed that of someone who was on edge.   
“What happened?”  One of the waitresses, Nadia, asked, worry etched on her face at the way Kayley was speaking and what she had said.  
“Vanessa just called.  Raven has been stabbed.”  Kayley revealed, her entire face filled with worry and sorrow.  Everyone gasped.  “She’s going with her to the hospital.  She’ll keep us updated.  I now need to call her family.”  Kayley said, her heart constricting as Jasmine handed her her phone since Raven had given her her siblings’ contact numbers.  Kayley scrolled through the phone to in order to contact one of Raven’s siblings.

Rydel was about to set up her camera to film a new YouTube video while Rocky had gone to get the candy they would be tasting when her phone began ringing.  She picked it up and saw that it was Raven’s friend, Jasmine, calling her.  She frowned slightly.  Had something happened to Raven?  She answered the phone.  
“Hello Rydel speaking.”  She greeted Jasmine.  The voice that greeted her was not said person.  
“Rydel, this is Raven’s manager at the bar, Kayley.  I have some bad news for you.”  Kayley said, her voice sounded grave.  Rydel’s heart stopped.  
“What’s wrong?”   Rydel asked, her tone laced with worry.  
“Raven’s been stabbed.”  Kayley revealed.  Rydel froze.  The phrase ‘Raven’s been stabbed’ began bouncing around her head.  She could no longer hear anything else.   _We just got her back.  We can’t lose her.  Not again._  She thought

Rocky came back into Rydel’s room, candy in hand to see Rydel completely frozen, her mouth slightly open, and her eyes unfocused.  Her phone was in her hand and it sounded like someone was calling her name through it.  Rocky dropped everything he was holding and ran over to his sister.  He took the phone out of her hand and put it to his ear.  
“Rydel?  Can you hear me?”  The voice asked.  
“This is her brother Rocky.  She’s not moving at the moment.  What happened?”  Rocky asked.  
“It’s Raven, she was stabbed.  Vanessa is with her now and she’s on her way to the hospital.  I’ll let you know more when I do.  My name’s Kayley by the way, I’m Raven’s manager at the bar.”  Kayley explained.  Rocky’s face turned white as a sheet, but he tried to keep as much composure as he was able to.  With a shaky voice, he began speaking again.  
“Which hospital is she at?”  
“I’m not sure yet, but I will text you as soon as I know.”  Kayley replied.  “Do you want me to call the rest of your family members or do you want to tell them?”  
“No, I’ll tell them.  Just please find out the information and let me know as soon as you can.”  Rocky said.  His voice was slightly shaky from all the emotions that he was feeling, but he knew that he had to keep it together in order to be able to tell the rest of his family, a task that he was absolutely dreading.  Before he could speak though, the person he was most dreading telling walked into the apartment…Ross.

* _After Rocky told everyone_ *

After Rocky hung up Ryland, who he had just broken the news to, he looked at Ross and Rydel and saw that Rydel had now moved to the couch and was staring off into space, and Ross still hadn’t moved.  While he was on the phone with Riker, he had received a text from Kayley about which hospital Raven was now at, which he had relayed to the rest of his family members via a group text, and now he had the task of, somehow, getting Ross and Rydel to the hospital.  


	12. Chapter 11

* _At the hospital – everyone there_ *

Everyone was in the hospital waiting for any news on how Raven was doing.  All they knew was that Raven was in surgery and her injury was severe.  The normally loud and happy vibe that flowed through the family had now switched to one of silence and sadness.  It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.  Vanessa had left to go back to the bar soon after Raven’s family had arrived, after telling them what she knew.  She didn’t want to leave, but she knew she had no choice.  She still had a job to do.  Even though she was sure Kayley would let her take the night off, she needed the money and she couldn’t afford to.

Each of the siblings, bar Ross who currently had his head in his hands, had taken to Twitter to express their sadness and let their fans know about this.  

@ RikerLynch: _My greatest fear has become a reality…again._

@ rylandlynch: _We found her and now we are close to losing her again…_

@ RockyLynch: _I still can’t get @ RossLynch to move, talk, or even acknowledge that anyone else is here. He is completely frozen. I almost had to carry him to the car to get to the hospital. Whoever did this to my little sister has hell to pay._

After their tweets, Twitter had exploded with questions as to what was wrong with Raven and what happened along with a flood of tweets of comfort and concern.

@ RockyLynch:   _I’ll be the one to break the news to everyone. Raven was found earlier this evening in her apartment with multiple stab wounds. She is now in hospital in critical condition and the doctors are unsure of when or if she’ll wake up_. 

# _PrayforRavenLynch_ had become a Worldwide trend within minutes.

Around half an hour later, a doctor walked up to the family.  Everyone looked up at him expectantly.  All of them knew by the look on his face that he held news about Raven’s condition and they were all anxious to hear if she was alright.  
“Along with losing a lot of blood externally from the stab wound, there was severe internal bleeding, and her left lung was punctured by the knife.  Her surgery was tough but successful.  We don’t know for sure when she will wake up, but she will recover.  It was lucky that she was found when she was.  Any longer and she could have died.”  The doctor revealed.  The entire family felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.  She would recover.  

@ RikerLynch: _Despite everything that has happened with @ RavenLynch, something amazing has happened.  We’ve just heard that Raven is going to be ok._

With this tweet, thousands of happy tweets began to pour in celebrating the fact that Raven would indeed recover and be back to her old self. 

* _6 months later_ *

It took Raven two months to wake up from her coma, but in that time, she had recovered quite a bit.  Once she got out of hospital, Raven temporarily moved into her parents’ house as her family didn’t want her to live by herself after everything she had been through.  Her siblings and friends visited her as often as they could and, after an unusually short court case, her ex-boyfriend and stabber was now in prison and would not be released for many years to come, so she was relieved to say that she was safe.  

Despite all the hardships they had all been through and the fact that Raven had been lost all those years, everything was now as it should be.  

\---------- ** _  
A/N: I hope the ending was ok and I wrapped it up nicely.  I was struggling to think of ideas on how to continue the story.  Sorry to those of you who were unsatisfied with the ending._**


End file.
